Suture in oral surgery. A comparative study

The aim of the present paper is to continue the previous study, with 52 new additional cases, confronting in vivo the behavior of 4 different suture materials (Ethibond Excel, Monocryl, silk and Vicryl) in oral surgery.

The clinical aspects have been particularly underlined: the intraoperative easy handling, the estate of the nodes and the resistance of the thread, the plaque accumulation, the tissue response in the short term (within 3 weeks) as well as in the long term (90 days), all estimated with objective parameters.

Fifty-two out of a total of 55 new subjects included in the program have been followed throughout all the experimentation. Of the remaining 3, 1 didn't come for the suture removal, the second had a bleeding phenomenon 2 days after surgery and he went to the emergency department where sutures were replaced. The last one refused to come back for the 90 days control. These patients have been excluded from the experimentation. Data regarding the 52 patients are: plaque index recorded on the suture (Visible Plaque Index), number and percentage of sutures lost before 7/10 days, adverse reactions observed on the surgical site (14/20 days), total plaque index, and healing level and dental-periodontal status at 90 days.

The clinical healing at 90 days was the same for all the different threads, differently from what happened in the critical postoperative period (within the 3 weeks).